A Romantic Dream
by Daddy's little Hippy
Summary: AU High School fic. About the staff instead of the students for a change. Lenne lands a great teaching job thanks to her best student. Of course, everything in life gets complicated.
1. Chapter 1: Recollections

_I've been reading a lot of AU high school setting fanfiction lately for this game and I found a recurring theme that I'd like to place more emphasis on. Thus, a fic about a high school romance of a different and much more adult nature was born. It's a fic in which the students are extras, and the faculty are the main cast..._

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**Chapter One **

_...Recollections..._

The rain tapped gently upon the window of a small apartment in the city of Luca, where a young woman was humming to herself as she packed the last of her belongings into boxes. Never in a thousand years did she think she'd be so willing to leave the city she had been so anxious to move to as a child. Of course, back than she was different. She had dreamt of becoming a famous singer and marrying a blitz star. More specifically, a man like Jecht – who was of course, retired now – with their only complaints being of their lack of privacy.

She chuckled to herself. How she'd idolized him. What a dreamer she had been. Her dreams of course, had come true in a much different way, but she often thought it was better this way.

Unable to land an agent and make the scene as she'd anticipated, she had to find some way to garner a stable income until she hit it big. So, one evening as she was reading the "intent to evict" notice she found taped to her door, a motivation washed over her and she ran down into the streets.

Five gil later, she was standing on the sidewalk, scanning the classifieds desperately. The ad practically smacked her in the face.

"_Teacher needed for high school arts programs. Music, drama, dance and visual art knowledge a must. Teacher's degree required. Call..._"

Her mind wandered while her legs mindlessly carried her to a nearby payphone. She had long since lost her phone service. Dropping in a single gil, she absently dialled the number in front of her and waited, holding her breath until someone answered.

"Luca high school, how can I help you?" said a woman's voice.

"Hi, my name is Lenne and I'm calling about the teaching position."

"Thank you for your interest. Please hold while I patch you through to the principal's office."

Moments later a gruff voice greeted her and she reintroduced herself and her intention. The conversation went swimmingly until he asked, "And what teacher's college did you attend?"

She froze. She had never been to teacher's college. She looked down at the ad again and of course, there it was in clear print... _Teacher's degree required_... Swallowing, she thought for a second, she'd made it this far and the local high school wasn't known for its brilliant staff.

"All of my post secondary education was found through Kilika's community college," she lied.

"I wasn't aware there was a school there."

There was a silence in which she was sure she'd been caught...

Finally he spoke again.

"Of course, I haven't been there since before Hurricane Flint and I heard they really went all out when they rebuilt..."

Looking back, it was the luckiest moment she'd had in possibly her whole life. Her first day had been hell. The students were rowdy and disrespectful, her coworkers were all older and she found no common ground with them. The cafeteria food made her sick and when she'd finally finished the day, she realized that it was like going back to school all over again... literally.

On her second day, sitting on the desk in front of her music class, she discovered the kind of student that made the job worth doing. Her name was Yuna and she changed Lenne's life forever.

She was attentive, sweet, and incredibly talented. Every day she looked forward to her music classes. It didn't matter that the job paid too little, that just about every other child seemed to be the definition of hopeless, or that she ate her homemade lunch alone in the staffroom every day.

Then came the day that led her to pack up her belongings. A private school in Bevelle was visiting and they were interested in Yuna, who apparently did as well in every class as she did in music. An undeniably creepy man entered her classroom after final her students and left.

"Hello. Can I help you?" she had asked, suddenly wishing the school had better security.

"My name is Seymour Guado and I'm the headmaster of Yevon's School for the Gifted."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. I understand you are a teacher of a particular student. Her name is Yuna Lesca."

"Yes, she is a fantastic student," Lenne told him. She knew she'd miss her, but she couldn't selfishly hold her back either.

"I see. All the other staff members seemed to share in your opinion. That's why I've arranged to meet with her father."

In the staffroom, they others were already discussing Yuna's visitor.

"Her father should have sent her there to begin with. She's so talented and it's not like he hasn't got the money. He's a doctor."

"Well, his practice is local and I'm sure the thought of sending Yuna away after the loss of his wife was more than he could take."

Lenne gathered her jacket and bag from her locker and left without speaking.

The wind that whipped about the fall leaves made her regret wearing her hair down. It danced across her face, sticking to her lip gloss and tangled into what she knew was most likely an ungodly mess. She reached her car and found her prized pupil standing beside it, waiting for her.

"Yuna? Shouldn't you be home? You should be there for your father's meeting with Yevon's Headmaster," she told her.

"I'd rather not go. I don't want to leave my dad."

"It's not forever. You'll be back for holidays and it's only four years."

"Yeah, but what about after that? I'll go to university or college and then I'll get a job and I'll regret going because I won't get to spend any time with dad."

"Yuna, I'm sure if you stay here, you'll regret not having gone to Bevelle..." she gestured to the school behind her, "I mean, you are much better than this place. This is your chance to get out. The drive back would only be about two hours if you wanted to spend weekends at home."

The younger looked at her feet and remained silent for a long time before, "You're better than this place too, you know."

Lenne didn't know how to answer, so instead she changed the subject. "Get in, let me drive you home."

The next day, she'd received a second visit from the strange headmaster.

"It would seem I've overlooked something very important yesterday. It wasn't until I overheard a conversation in the parking lot that I realised it though," he told her with a look she could swear was lecherous, "A school with brilliant students requires brilliant staff to encourage them. Miss Lesca attributes much of her motivation and the like to you."

Lenne felt her face grow hot.

"Which is why," he continued, "I'd like to invite you to Bevelle as well. We have an opening for a vocal teacher. Not to mention we need someone to run the school choir."

An hour later details had been worked out and, inspired by her favourite student, the incredible raise in pay, and the fact that she would be living on campus rent free, she rushed to the principal's office to quit.

Not long after, she pranced through the staffroom and sung her goodbyes to her coworkers before dancing through the parking lot to her car.

At home, she'd given notice to her landlord and went about packing immediately. The school year had already started, so she would be leaving as soon as possible to fill the position.

Now, here she was on her last night in the humble dwelling, reflecting on what had transpired in the last month and a half. She was possibly the luckiest human being alive.

Standing, she decided to make a trip down into the street to call her best friend back in Zanarkand, where she had grown up.

"You know, I heard today that Jecht's youngest son goes to school there. Maybe you'll get to meet him on parent teacher night," teased the girl's voice on the other end, "Or maybe he's a member of the PTA."

Lenne giggled furiously at the thought, undisturbed by the strange looks the action had earned her from every passerby. "With the way my luck has been this last little while, it wouldn't shock me."

"Shut up it wouldn't shock you. You'd shit your pants if he walked into your classroom."

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Ha, you know you would."

Two hours had passed before Lenne heard the reminder to deposit another gil. Reaching into her pocket she discovered she had run out. "Damn..."

"Outta change?"

"Yeah, sorry, but it looks like it's time to hang up."

"That's fine, just remember to call me once you get settled into your new place."

"I totally will, promise. Oh, I can't wait until I have a phone again. We'll talk for hours."

"We already talk for hours.... We need some men in our sad lives..."

"Shut up," Lenne laughed, "I'll call you tomorrow night."

"You better. Love you hun."

"Love you too."

She placed the phone on the receiver with a sad smile. She always hated to hang up, but inevitably she would run out of gil and be forced to.

Distracting herself from her realizations of loneliness, she entertained her thoughts with fantasies of what the future would hold. Charming students with the occasional one being prone to misbehaviour, though not in the way her current ones were. Her new students wouldn't carry guns or fight over a drug deal. No, they would be better. They wouldn't leave death threats if they failed a test. Instead, they'd come in for extra help and she would help them. Their parents would appreciate it. Their parents would be involved and not blame her for their own parenting failures.

Smiling again, she re-entered her apartment and lay her head down on the flat pillow of a bed that felt like brick and slept there for the last night.

When daylight broke, she was already awake. The car was already packed. She was just going through to make sure she'd forgotten nothing. The basic furniture was staying, her subtle way of thanking the landlord for putting up with her being behind on rent almost every month and never actually following through with his threats to evict her. Besides, she wouldn't need these things where she was going.

Sweeping the floors for the last time, she slung her purse strap over her shoulder and picked up the last trash bag. On the first floor, she knocked on the landlord's door and handed him the key. They quickly exchanged pleasantries and she set off for the back parking lot.

Tossing the trash into the dumpster as she passed, she outwardly cheered her perfect shot and got into her car.

Rolling down the window and poking her head through, she dramatically called out, "Goodbye old life!" pulling her head back in, she started the car... and nothing happened. "Dammit."

Four tries later and the rust bucket finally rumbled to life.

As she left the parking lot, she watched the building vanish in her rear-view mirror. It wasn't long before she was watching the very city do the same and then it was gone. It was all behind her. The crappy job, the crappy coworkers, the crappy students were all behind her. She laughed to herself as she followed the winding roads that led her past Djose, over the Moonflow Bridge, through the Thunder Plains – which even looked unusually cheery today – and through Macalania Woods.

She slowed to admire the scenery. The beauty not lost on her. As she took the turn that would lead her to her new home, she noted how close the woods were and promised herself that she'd return sometime for a walk.

Bevelle was vast, but the school was easy enough to find, being the centre of the city and most likely the largest building. It loomed in an intimidating way as she drove closer. The sight had a different kind of effect on her though and she felt nothing short of bliss as she walked from her car to the front doors.

The lobby opened into halls that seemed to bend and sprawl in every direction. She was instantly confused.

"Excuse me, miss, but do you need a hand?"

She looked to the teen with a smile. His white hair shocked her a little, especially in contrast to his dark skin. Recovering quickly she nodded, "I'm looking for the office."

"I'm Baralai, tenth year. The main office is just this way," he told her in a liquid voice as he led the way, "This place gets easier to navigate with time."

"That's good to hear," she said with a smile, "I'm Lenne. I'm going to be the new vocal teacher."

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_And that's the end of the first chapter. I'm sorry if it's a little dull, but I felt it was important to lay some ground work about Lenne and her life before the story really gets underway, you know? Anyway, now that that's done with, I can get on with the real story. I'd appreciate some feedback, but no pressure. I'd just like to see how people feel about the idea._


	2. Chapter 2: A Fresh Start

_Just a quick thanks to the people who bothered to give this fic a chance. Even if there are no reviews. Thank you._

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**Chapter Two**

_...A fresh start..._

After encountering the handsome and friendly youth named Baralai in the hall, he had led her to the office, introducing her to students as they passed them. Each politely and respectfully greeting her and introducing themselves. All dressed in the very sophisticated school uniform.

There was the surprisingly muscled Barthello, eleventh year. Nooj, the brooding twelfth year. A busty blonde named Leblanc, eleventh year and a pair of boys that followed her. Ormi and Logos, both tenth years.

Inside the office, was a very energetic boy in blitz uniform. He had a mess of blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Something about his features seemed familiar, but she was certain she'd never met him before.

"Tidus, this is Miss Lenne, she's the new vocal teacher," Baralai told him.

"Cool, I'm Tidus, ninth year." He offered his hand as he introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you," Lenne responded, feeling surprised by the handshake. She was certain kids didn't do that anymore.

As much as she instantly liked the young man, she still preferred Yuna. Not that she'd express that of course. It would be wrong to do so, but still. In fact, she looked at Tidus curiously, thinking he and Yuna would make a very cute couple.

With Yuna in her thoughts, she suddenly wondered if she'd arrived yet and how she felt about the maze of halls that she'd have to confront. Maybe she'd have Tidus show her around.

"Glad to see you're already getting to know a few of our students," said Seymour as he appeared, "I'm sorry, I mean your students." He smiled at her.

She was practically ecstatic. Despite the incredible level of creepy that radiated from her new boss, she couldn't be happier. _Her_ students. _Her _students were respectful. _Her_ students were polite. _ Her _students shook hands and acted like charming young adults.

Lenne forced herself to repress the dreamy sigh that threatened to escape.

"I believe you two should be getting to class," Seymour said with a pointed look at the two boys.

"Of course Headmaster," Baralai replied with a bow. Tidus nodded and followed suit. Then, they hurried off to their respective classrooms.

"Now, would you care for a tour?"

She nodded excitedly and followed him out of the office.

Somewhere in the realm of forty minutes later, she'd seen everything except the living quarters, the staffroom and her own classroom. Though Seymour was efficient and not one to disappoint.

"This will be your room. You are the only teacher who will use this room, so you are essentially responsible for its keeping. The janitors will go through each not, but it is not their job to organize your board or notes. I'll be sure to give you a copy of the key."

Inside, she noted a set of bookshelves packed with books on music theory and tabs and everything she could ever dream of about music. The floor had been adjusted with risers to create levels so that she could gaze upon all the faces of her beautiful students easily. To say she was excited was definitely an understatement.

She caressed the oak desk, _her_ desk. Grinning, she looked at all the corkboards and chalkboards with visions of what she would post there. Maybe reminders of coming deadlines, recitals, and her students' undoubtedly excellent work.

The lighting was soft, perfect for the creative setting and mood.

"I hate to interrupt an inspired mind, but I have to hurry us along so we might finish before lunch hour. I suspect you're hungry," Seymour interrupted her thoughts.

"Of course, lead the way," she answered, blushing lightly at having been so accurately read.

Next was the staffroom. Inside, there was only one man, he was sipping a coffee thirstily and reading papers. A red pen in his hand. He wore a black button down shirt, un-tucked and black slacks. A moment passed before he acknowledged them.

"Afternoon Headmaster," he greeted as he pushed his heavily tinted glasses up the bridge of his nose, "You must be Lenne, the newest staff member?"

"Uh, um.. Yeah," she stuttered nervously. Unable to see his eyes, she still knew for sure he was looking at her. "Nice to meet you..."

"My name is Auron. I teach History."

"He's also our friendliest teacher!" Seymour added in a chipper tone.

Lenne chuckled half heartedly, afraid of offending either man.

"Well, I'll leave you for now. There's a map on the far wall if you need to reference something. Other than that, feel free to ask anyone. You won't be teaching any classes until tomorrow so just get comfortable," the headmaster said.

"What about my room?" She asked.

"Room? No no, I must not have been clear. It's actually an apartment. Only students get rooms."

"Oh, but where is it?"

He looked to his watch anxiously. "Auron, could you show her the staff residence wing?"

The other only nodded.

"Excellent. Just relax for now. Take the time to adjust to your surroundings. I'm usually in my office between three thirty and six o'clock if you need to talk or have any questions."

He turned on his heel just as his watch began to beep frantically.

After the door was closed, Lenne stood silently for a moment, pondering how she should behave. Auron didn't seem easily impressed or interested in being bothered and she most definitely felt like she was bothering him.

He said nothing to confirm or ease her fears as he calmly returned the cap to his pen and slipped it into his breast pocket. She watched awkwardly, feeling every second was like an eternity, while he organized his papers and placed them into a zippered portfolio. Lifting the coffee cup to his lips, he drained the last of what was in the mug before standing.

"Give an old man a moment," he told her in his deep, rumbling voice.

"Of course, take your time," she answered. She wanted to add that he didn't seem old, but said nothing. For some reason she thought anything further would annoy him.

After pulling a deep red blazer up over his shoulders – not putting his arms through the sleeves – he put the portfolio under one arm and the mug in the sink. He passed her and opened the door. "Let's go." It was most certainly an order and not a suggestion.

Lenne was, needless to say, terrified of her coworker and was sure there was no way she could enjoy this walk.

She was wrong.

As they entered the hallway, she spotted Barthello ambling along, chatting on a cellphone. "Dona! Please!"

She nearly bumped into Auron when he suddenly stopped, apparently also spotting the teen. He cleared his throat and the youth looked up, his face frozen in an almost humorously pitiful way.

"This is not an appropriate time for your teenage dramatics," the elder said as he relieved the student of his phone. He put the device to his own lips and said, "Miss Dona, I happen to know that neither of you have a spare at this time. Report to detention in my classroom immediately after final bell."

Before there was opportunity to protest, he snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Barthello. "I'll see you there as well, young man. Perhaps an hour of clapping brushes will give you time to talk through your romantic dilemma. Now, go back to class."

The younger nodded dumbly and took off rather quickly.

"No running in the halls," Auron said.

He slowed instantly and instead took to speed walking.

Lenne secretly admired him in spite of herself. A moment or two passed before she found the courage to walk alongside him as opposed to behind. "How long have you been working here?" she ventured.

"Ten years."

Silence.

She was on the verge of regretting the attempt when he spoke again.

"If you have questions or need to talk, the other teachers are almost always available anytime, including myself. There is no need to visit Headmaster Guado." There was a venomous taste in his words that hinted at perhaps an underlying issue. She chose not to question it.

"That's very kind of you."

He opened a door that led across a little courtyard; once it had closed behind them he took the moment to emphasize his point. "Don't visit the Headmaster for any reason," he told her.

She gathered that he was quite serious, despite his eyes being hidden behind the dark spectacles.

"Alright. I won't bother him."

"I'm more concerned with him bothering you..."

She fell silent, but not uncomfortably so, as they entered the building through a door opposite where they had come through. He seemed to understand her need to contemplate his words.

Neither spoke again until, "This is your suite."

She looked up and realized the stood in front of an oak door with her name emblazoned onto a plaque beside it. She couldn't help but to touch her fingers to it.

He opened the door without hesitation and stepped inside. She followed and then, after removing her shoes, dared to venture ahead. On the island that divided the simple kitchen and living room, she found something of a welcome package, containing keys, a schedule and all the basics she would need to get started.

"The bathroom is the door on the right, your bedroom is the left," Auron explained briefly, "and actual cooking elements outside of the provided microwave are prohibited. Genuine food can be purchased in the cafeteria between the hours of 7am and 7pm. Menu varies by mealtime."

She was overjoyed by it anyway. Opening the small fridge she found it to be full of water bottles and frozen dinners. Not all were to her taste, but at least they cared enough to feed her. "This is just awesome," she muttered.

"After this, only water is provided. You have to make trips to the grocery in town if you want anything else. If you have no interest in the frozen meals, Shuyin does – "

"Shuyin?" she cut in suddenly. The name sounded familiar.

"He's our physical education teacher and blitzball coach."

She nodded and closed the fridge while she tried to forget that the name was known to her. Maybe it was a common name? She doubted it, but you never could be sure.

"I'm leaving now. My spare is nearly finished and I have to get to my classroom."

"Thank you," she said quickly, following him to the door.

"Learn your way back and forth between your most important locations first. They'll become like landmarks until you learn the layout. Visit the staffroom during each class to meet staff and don't forget to eat something at lunch," he told her as he made his way back down the hall.

She already had more friends at this job than she ever did at any point during her last one, she thought.

Half an hour later, she'd brought all of her belongings inside and had begun unpacking. She quickly tired of the affair and instead chose to take her coworker's advice and do a little exploring.

Finding her way back to and across the courtyard was easy enough. She even managed to locate the staffroom without too much trouble.

Inside she found no one, only a mess of paperwork spread about the entire lunch table and a bottle of water uncapped amongst the chaos.

Curious, she peered at the papers and discovered them to be quizzes of some sort on the various food groups and healthy habits.

"Don't look! Some of them are terrible," said a man's voice from behind her. She turned quickly, startled and embarrassed for reasons she couldn't place.

The face that she found stunned her. He was a more matured version of the young blitzball player she'd met in the office earlier... What had been his name?

Rather confused, she managed to ask, "Tidus...?"

He laughed heartily, "I guess you met my younger brother?"

She chuckled. Of course, Tidus was a student after all. He wouldn't be in here marking papers... She suddenly remembered Auron's words about frozen dinners, "You're Shuyin then? The blitzball coach?"

"My reputation precedes me yet again."

"Auron had mentioned..." she found herself turning red.

"Old Auron was giving you the grand tour? I suppose that means you're Lenne?"

He offered his hand, same as his brother had done. Though this time, she felt much less confident about her situation.

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_I'm really struggling to just get everyone introduced and Lenne properly settled. I have no idea what to do about other staff members... Guess they'll all be like Elma and Lucille and various other random people. Yeah, that works... Anywho, I'd like some opinions on what you'd like to see. Otherwise I'm following my own path and it's really random!_


	3. Chapter 3: First Day

_Straight out of the gate, I want to thank my two reviewers, _**Epic Popcorn** _and_ **A Loving Fist**_ for their support. I really appreciate it. Seriously. _

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**Chapter Three**

_...First day..._

When Lenne had laid her head upon her pillow the night before, she had nearly fallen asleep right away. The excitement of the day had drained her of every last ounce of energy.

Meeting her coworkers had been fascinating. She found herself particularly interested in Auron and Shuyin. Auron was incredible for his protective nature and as a much needed father figure for her. Shuyin on the other hand, was basically lust incarnate.

Everything about him had been so... appealing.

The next morning, her first official day, her alarm clock sang to her, not seeing that she was already, very much awake. She had been up for at least an hour digging through her suitcases and desperately trying to figure out what she was going to wear.

"Gotta look professional... Don't want to look frumpy.... Argh!"

Growling at her clothes – which were elegantly strewn all about her room – Lenne thought she might have to call a personal day. This was a disaster.

Finally, she found an outfit. It was perfect. A short sleeved, blue silk blouse with the cutest hint of ruffling along the buttons and a grey flowing knee length skirt that was layered and cut with a slight angle.

She left her hair down and just before she left her room, she double checked with the full length mirror to confirm what she really already should have known. "Gorgeous," she told herself with a bright smile.

She was relieved to find no students were lingering outside her classroom yet. Really saving her from being embarrassed by having run down the hall – an action spurred on by her uncontrollable excitement – and losing the little chance she had at being a "cool teacher".

She stepped inside calmly and left the door open.

Casually, she sat at her desk and reread her hastily prepared lesson plan. It was sound enough. She did need to get to know what they knew before she really jumped into the teaching aspect. The more she read, the more she realized how slapped together it really was.

Her students were going to see straight through this and if the headmaster found out, they'd probably fire her and oh my god, what the hell was she going to do if he fired her? She could not go back. She couldn't!

Obviously, even her thoughts were becoming irrational as they always did when she turned into a jumble of nerves.

Fortunately, some people just had the best timing. Ever.

"Lenne!" squealed a voice from the door.

The accused looked up and smiled. "Yuna, it's good to see you!" She stood and approached the girl.

They hugged.

"I'm so glad you came here too," Yuna laughed.

"Have you met your classmates yet?"

"Yeah... sort of. This girl Paine ate lunch with me yesterday, but she doesn't say much. I also ran into Lulu, she's from Besaid and I hadn't seen her since we moved. She tells me Wakka, this guy who I also knew from back then, goes here too. I've been trying to convince Rikku to transfer here, but there are issues... you know, because she's Al Bhed," her eyes wandered to the floor, her face riddled with shame.

"Yeah, people really need to get over the division. Segregation is so not cool. Hey, have you met any cute boys yet?" Lenne asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Yuna blushed. "I didn't have classes yesterday, just the grand tour. This nice tenth year gave me a tour. He'd told me he'd met you. His name is Baralai."

"You think he's cute?" Lenne teased.

"Not that he's ugly, but no. Let me finish," Yuna giggled.

"Okay, go for it."

"It was second period when he gave me the tour. Then, he showed me the cafeteria and I ran into Lulu in the line. He couldn't miss his class after lunch, so I just kind of wandered around by myself for awhile. Anyway, I got lost so I went into the blitzball stadium, because it's so easy to spot and asked for help," she paused, blushing again.

'_And she met Tidus...and she met Tidus...'_ Lenne chanted mentally.

"So, even though there's no way it'll ever happen I can't deny, the cutest guy I've met so far.... is the P.E. teacher," Yuna confessed through her laughter.

"Shuyin?" Lenne asked incredulously.

"Yeah, he was quizzing his students, so we had to talk in the hall, but seriously, everything about him is just awesome."

"I know," Lenne grinned, "I met him yesterday too."

"Of course, isn't he just," Yuna stopped, unable to find words, instead, gesturing with her hands.

"Sorry, but this is ninth year music, right?" asked a nervous looking boy at the door.

"Sure is, come on in and find a seat," Lenne answered, feeling refreshingly confident after her conversation with Yuna. She lowered her voice to a whisper and told the girl, "By the way, Shuyin has a brother your age. Practically a twin."

Yuna's eyes brightened and she smiled widely. "Really?"

"Yup."

The other students slowly began to file in and take their seats. Yuna nodded to Lenne and went to claim one for herself.

When the bell rang, Lenne was surprised by the number of students actually in her class. Apparently music was a popular elective.

Swallowing her nerves, she took a deep breath and started with an introduction.

"Alright everyone, I'm glad to see so many of you chose to take music. My name is Lenne and I'm, well, the new music teacher!" She paused, waiting for some sort of aggressive act like she would have faced at the old school, but there was nothing, just smiling faces. "Let's start by going through the attendance list. For today specifically, when I call out your name, instead of saying 'here' or 'present' just stand up and say your instrument, okay?"

A few people verbally agreed, others nodded.

"...Aria..." she began.

"Present! Oops, I mean..." the girl stood, blushing a little. A few students chuckled. "Sorry, flute." She sat back down.

"That's okay, that's what the system has you trained to do. It's totally a Pavlov thing."

She continued down the list, surprised again, this time by the fact that not a single student was absent. As they named their instruments, she noted it beside their name on the attendance sheet.

"Paine?"

The girl with short grey hair stood up from her seat beside Yuna. "Bass."

"That's awesome. Ladies on bass is a refreshing thing."

When she finally hit Yuna, the last on the list, she was very happy. The variety of musical interest was clearly there and to top it off the best student she had ever had was about to be introduced. "Yuna."

The above mentioned stood and said, "Vocals."

"Great, now that that's all done. Let's talk music. I want to know what sort of things we should perform. What sort of music interests you? What artists do you like? So let's just open this up. Forget about raising your hands and all that. This is an art class, we're above that." She grinned at them. "Just keep it respectful and we can throw around ideas. I want to know what you want to learn from this class."

There were a few moments of silence and she suddenly worried that nobody would speak.

"I find I'm biased in favour of things with a strong bass line," Paine offered.

"Good, I get that," Lenne responded.

"I like pop music," added another student, "I can't really get into like, heavy music."

"Okay, okay. This is the feedback I need. Keep it coming." She jotted the thoughts onto a blank sheet.

"I like songs that when you hear them, with or without lyrics, they have you feeling something. Imagining a story or a place or a situation or something," Yuna told her.

Five minutes later the class was ablaze with conversation. Everyone loved music and apparently they loved all types for all different reasons.

"This is so awesome it kills me to cut it off, but there's only about two minutes left to the class and if I don't give you homework, the Headmaster's going to think I'm a slacker."

There were a few groans, but otherwise, everything was going epically smooth.

"So, what I want is for you to pick a song. It can be anything. Rock, rap, pop, country, techno, I don't care. I'm writing my email address on the board and I want you to send it to me. I'll make them into a CD and we'll play them tomorrow. That's when we'll do the second half of this homework, okay?"

There was excited nodding and everyone seemed genuinely interested.

"There's only one catch," she said before being interrupted by the bell. It stopped ringing, but nobody moved, awaiting the final instruction. She smiled, "You can't tell anyone else what song you picked."

They gathered their things quickly and began to hurry out. She was overwhelmed by how incredible everything had just gone. They had participated and even after the bell rang, they waited for her to finish! This school was the best teaching position, like ever.

She sat on her desk and crossed her legs, reading over the sheet she'd made notes on while she waited for the students of her second class to arrive.

When they did, she couldn't deny that she was just a little intimidated. These were obviously her eleventh years and they were much more comfortable with their surroundings than her previous class. They all easily found seat, clustered in cliques.

Fortunately, a few of them recognized her from the day before and greeted her.

"Hi, Miss Lenne," Barthello said as he passed, carrying an armload of books, both his own and that of the girl beside him.

"Hi Barthello, and you have to be Dona," she answered, trying to not look as nervous as she felt.

The dark skinned girl looked at her with an appraising stare. "Hmmm, I like your skirt," she said with a heavily seductive voice.

"Thanks. I like you're hair."

A moment of mutual acceptance passed between them before Dona walked to her seat, Barthello trailing behind like a desperate puppy.

The class passed with a considerable level of amusement for Lenne, but she couldn't like the crowd as much as she liked her ninth years.

Before they all left, she was sure to give them the same assignment and instructions.

Finally, it was lunch time. Fortunately, she had something of an extended lunch, thanks to her conveniently placed spare. After that, she'd have a class with her tenth year students and then she would have finished her first day as a teacher at Spira's most prestigious private school.

Deciding against eating a frozen dinner, she thought she'd join everyone in the line up for the cafeteria lunch. Surprisingly, but also not, she found the way this cafeteria worked was a little different. Instead of having a line of students mostly in single file that stretched through the entire room and out the door as had been the case in her old school, there were several short lines. Each leading to a window, where students were placing their orders and paying.

She was practically starving now that she thought about food. Strolling through the crowds of students, she went to the back of the shortest line.

Behind her, she heard familiar laughter.

"You don't have to stand in line, Lenne," Shuyin said as he walked up beside her, "Staff gets special treatment."

She blushed; she'd kind of seen this place as special treatment.

"Here, follow me," he told her.

She followed him through the crowds, out of the cafeteria and into the main office, where they walked behind the secretary's desk and found themselves in front of yet another cafeteria window.

"Hey," said the guy on the other side, "What can I get ya?"

"I'll have a poutine," Shuyin replied, tapping his stomach, "Because I've gotta stay in shape."

"I'll have..." Lenne frowned. There were no menus here, so how was she supposed to know what they served?

"Oh, that's right, sorry," the guy on the other side of the window apologized, "You're the new teacher, right? Take this." He handed her a flyer that explained what was offered. "That's this week's menu. All the others already received theirs. They were handed out at the start of the week."

"Thank you. Oh, I'll have the macaroni and cheese casserole," she told him.

Silence.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, every school has at least one thing on the menu you shouldn't order," Shuyin explained, "This school? It's the mac n' cheese. Eat that today and you won't make it to tomorrow's classes."

Lenne wondered whether he was serious. "I'll take a garden salad and BLT than."

"Comin' right up."

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_So ends chapter 3. I'm excited about writing the next chapter because I get to play with them eating lunch together! Heehee..._

_DLH_


	4. Chapter 4: Lunch and Learning

_It's so exciting to find interest in this story picking up. Thanks to my newest reviewer _**DarkenedPetals**_. I can't explain how happy I was to see new reviews._

_I finished FP, so this story will hopefully be more frequently updated. Not like I have been, but I'm working on it. Promise.  
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**Chapter Four**

_...Lunch and Learning..._

With her lunch on a tray and her money in the hands of the lunch dude, who she felt she should add was also very attractive – though, in all honesty she was way too busy going mentally gaga over the blonde P.E. teacher who she currently sat at the staff lunch table with to really pay the server any attention – she was off to what she definitely considered to be a great start to her new lunching habits.

Everything was dreamy, from the school's labyrinth of a layout to the surreal beauty of her polite and well-mannered students and especially her hunk of a lunch date.

"Um, Lenne?"

She blushed, "Sorry." She could have kicked herself for pulling a dorky stunt right in front of him. Being a space cadet stopped being cute when she was in high school.

"It's alright. I used to get caught up in the atmosphere all the time when I first got here. Not that I don't appreciate it anymore, but I haven't fallen up the stairs in a while either," he laughed.

"How does one fall _up_ the stairs exactly?"

"You've never fallen up the stairs? It's much safer than falling down. I highly recommend it if you're ever looking to humiliate yourself while on a staircase. See, I was walking up and all was good. I was staring straight up at the stained glass dome above the main stairs and I didn't lift my foot all the way. Next thing I know, my chin is connecting quite painfully with a stair and my classmates are laughing and saying things like '_smooth move ex lax_'."

"Were Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix there?"

"No, they weren't."

"Wait, classmates? You were a student here?"

"Yeah, back in the day. I was captain of the blitz team and Auron was actually my history teacher. Shows you how old a fart he really is."

Auron gave him a small glare and said, "You were in my history class twice, or perhaps you forgot how horribly you failed the first time?"

"I don't necessarily like to brag about the crush I had on you which led to me intentionally failing just to be near you again."

The older only shook his head and sighed. "Those who fail history are doomed to repeat it."

"I promise only to repeat the awesome parts. The ones that are History-pun free."

Lenne looked away, trying to hide her smile from Auron and caught sight to Yuna across the cafeteria. The young brunette was sitting with Paine and a girl who she guessed was probably Lulu. Yuna seemed to be speaking excitedly about something and her gesturing made her look extremely out of place between the pair of rather gothic girls.

"Lennnnnne...." a hand waved in front of her face.

"Sorry....again."

"Don't worry about it. I was just asking about what the last school you worked at was like."

She made a face. "Everything that was good about that school is here now." She smiled at him and realized he was only half smiling back. He looked kind of confused. "Oh, I don't mean me. Yuna, over there at that table, she was my student there too. She's fantastic."

"I see. Yeah, I had the chance to chat with her yesterday. She seems really sweet. A little shy, but there's nothing wrong with that."

"She's an excellent student and Braska is lucky to have such a wonderful daughter," Auron added.

"You know Braska?" Lenne asked curiously.

"We went to college together. One of the few people I bothered to stay in touch with."

"I suppose when you have two best friends and one turns into an unreliable alcoholic...." muttered the blitzball coach.

Now Lenne was totally lost. She looked at the suddenly sad eyes of Shuyin and the way Auron's shoulders looked as though they were weighed down by something very heavy.

A few awkward moments passed before Auron managed to break up the silence. "You're father has cleaned himself up well and has by some miracle of Yevon raised a couple of decent kids."

Shuyin looked forlorn for a moment longer and finally broke out of it with a grin – though it seemed quite forced in the opinion of the vocal teacher – before laughing, "Decent? Tidus is decent. I am amazing."

Lenne smiled at him and tried not to let what she had just heard show on her face. Digesting this new information about Shuyin and his brother, she carefully filed it away for future reference. Come on, if she ever got to know this hottie as more than a co-worker, this information would probably be important and if Tidus ended up in one of her classes? She could better understand him as a student.

"Yuna is actually the reason I'm here. If it weren't for her I probably would have used my savings for a bulletproof vest by now. My last school liked guns and drugs and I'm not sure if they have them here, but at the beginning of the year, we passed out agendas for students to keep track of their homework and the like. One day, I picked up one a student had left behind. I opened it up to see if there was a name inside and it turns out she was scheduling her bathroom breaks so she could perform sexual favours for other students in exchange for money."

"Classy."

"Yeah, that's what her shorty shorts said too."

"I won't deny it. Some of our students do have some shady hobbies and there is definitely some drug use and under age sex, but that's because rich kids are easily bored."

"He should know since he was a rich kid." The voice interrupted their conversation. Lenne turned around to see Tidus walking around the table to his brother. He wore the same devious grin and stared at Shuyin expectantly.

"What could you possibly want?"

"Isn't that obvious? Gil."

"What for?"

"To go to the mall with Wakka after school."

Shuyin sighed as he took out his wallet. He looked at Lenne, "Mall is probably code for strip club."

"With Wakka? No. That wouldn't impress Lulu. Besides, her boobs are wayyyy bigger than anything he could possibly see there." He paused and looked a little embarrassed. "Sorry, Miss Lenne, Sometimes I don't think before I speak."

"I'm sure she's already figured that out. Now here's fifty. Don't blow it all in the arcade."

Tidus accepted the money and offered a quick bow before dashing off to his table.

Lenne threw her eyes over at Yuna who was looking back. The younger girl mouthed 'Oh my Yevon' at her. Remembering who she was sitting with, Lenne chose only to smile brightly back.

"You two are pretty close. Seems like she really looks up to you."

Casting her eyes back at Shuyin she nodded, "I could say the same for your younger brother."

"Naturally he'd want to be as great as I am."

Lenne only laughed.

A whimsical chime sound played and everyone seemed to accept that it was time to go back to class. Of course, Lenne hadn't anywhere specific to be, so she peered around at her coworkers. They all apparently had somewhere to go.

Absently, she stood up and behaved as though, she too had plans for the next scheduled period. Emptying her tray into a bin, she waved to everyone, but mostly Shuyin and Auron, before heading for her classroom.

Logically, she thought it was her best option to kill time. She could prep for her next class or maybe figure out what she was going to do about the choir/band she had agreed to take over.

Finding her room easily, she slipped her key into the door and left it open behind her as she wandered in. Even though she didn't think it was too likely she'd have visitors, she wanted to be approachable in the eyes of her students and nothing said that better than an open door.

She walked to the back of the class and ran her hands over the many neatly organized cases that held various instruments. She strolled by the already set up drum kits and tapped a cymbal with her finger. Her nail made a gentle ping sound and she smiled, sliding onto the stool slowly and picking up the drum sticks that had been left to rest beside it.

As she rolled and crashed her way through the song, she closed her eyes. She had always had a fondness for percussion and while she usually preferred pop ballads when listening to music, she could never deny the magic of an instrument that had existed for so many years in so many forms and so many places.

Eyes closed and ears filled with a vivid beat, she failed to notice she wasn't alone.

She finished and was met with the almost uneasy sound of a single person clapping.

She opened her eyes suddenly and found the headmaster watching her with lecherous eyes. The top buttons of his shirt were undone and his hair seemed to be gelled even more so than usual. In short, he exuded an even creepier vibe than he had the day before.

"Oh, headmaster, sorry. I hope I wasn't being too loud. Perhaps I should have..." her words trailed off as she realised that he had in fact closed the door. She knew the room was soundproof and once the door was shut, nothing could be heard from the outside.

She swallowed uneasily and chose not to walk down to where he stood.

"Not to worry. The class that's usually across the hall from yours at this time is on a field trip."

Lenne's body practically screamed '_He's creepy! RUNNNNNNNNNN!_' Of course, she couldn't.

"I thought since I had some free time I might come by and see how your first day had been going thus far."

"Wonderful. Everything is awesome."

"That's great to hear. I noticed you ate lunch with the rest of the staff today. You seem to be fitting in nicely...getting along rather well with our blitz coach." The distaste in his voice was quite obvious.

"Well, he's nice. He showed me where to get my lunch and that. I don't know him very well, but Auron is also very nice. I feel like I could learn a lot from him."

There was a heavy silence during which she could feel his eyes scrutinizing her. He probably knew she was dancing around the truth of the answer, but without proof he couldn't exactly call her on it.

Finally she decided to just change the subject. "So, I've been a little unsure of what I should be doing about the whole band - choir issue. I mean, do they already have scheduled meeting times?"

He smiled, "No, they did, but after our previous music teacher left, the sessions were cancelled. I'm sure they would be quite fine with whatever scheduling you choose for them. I've already heard some positive feedback from a handful of the students and Yuna seems to have eased right in to the social setting."

"She had told me she was happy with how things had been going. Even found a couple of friends to hang out with."

"I'm glad to hear it. Now, I should get going, but don't forget that I'm here if you need anything. Anything at all." The tone of the last words were uncomfortably suggestive and Lenne merely nodded dumbly, pretending she'd missed the hint.

"Actually Headmaster, you could tell me how it would be best to go about advertising the music club's re-opening. Is there a system in place for that?"

He walked casually toward the door and opened it, "Class announcements are a good start. I believe there should be a list of previous attendees on file in the office. Ask the secretary and you can use it to contact them."

"Thank you."

"You are most welcome," he said in an eerie tone before gliding out the door. He left it open and a second later, a pair of students slipped in.

"The Headmaster is such a creeeeep. I'm telling you, there's something not right about him," said the first.

Lenne secretly agreed, but acted as though she hadn't heard the comment and stepped carefully down until she was at the front of the room where the pair stood. "Tenth Year music?" she asked sweetly.

There was a nod.

"You're a bit early; didn't you have class before this?" The bell chimed to emphasis her point.

"We were given a free period to work on assignments in our last class."

As much as she wanted to just believe them or accept the answer or simply turn a blind eye to what was possibly a lie, she knew that she couldn't. "Mind if I ask what the class was?"

The first girl had done all the talking so far, but now she hesitated a little.

"History," managed the other.

Lenne gave them a frown and sighed, "I know I'm new and all, but I have met Auron and I'm pretty sure he doesn't do free periods."

"Okay..." the first looked at her with an embarrassed smile, "so, we only just got back on school grounds and we thought the bell had already gone and we were late because the clock on my car's dash is fast apparently."

"Are you going to send us to the office?" asked the second.

"What class did you skip?"

"Gym."

"How and why?"

"Well, we waited until class started and told Shuyin that we had feminine pains because he's not the kind of guy to question that and just never went to the infirmary and he never followed up again because he's just that kind of guy. We went to the movies to meet up with some guys from another school..."

"This couldn't have waited until after school? You risked getting in trouble for these boys?"

"If we went after school somebody would have seen us and we're not allowed to talk to them because... They're Al Bhed."

Lenne turned her back and thought on this a moment before asking, "What movie?"

"Zombie Asassin."

"Was it good?"

"If you like zombies or assasins or violence or shirtless men, yeah."

There was giggling and Lenne turned back to smile at the pair. "I love all those things and I also know how ridiculous people are about the Al Bhed, so I'll let this slide under the condition that you two owe me a favour each."

An outpouring of thanks followed, but was cut off by the appearance of their classmates.

"I haven't got anything I need done yet, but I'll let you know."

She beamed at them and they found their seats.

Once everyone was seated, she grabbed her attendance list and began. "Alright, last class of the day guys; let's make this a happy ending. I'm going to call your name and instead of saying "here" or "present", just stand up and say your instrument."

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_So, Lenne is on her way to becoming a cool teacher and learning more about her super sexy coworkers. Hope the pace isn't bothering anyone. Feedback please!_


	5. Chapter 5: Making Plans

_As I promised, I've been putting more work into this story. The general plot and major events have essentially been decided, but if you have any suggestions, I'm open to the input and willing to give credit where it's due. _

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**Chapter Five**

_...Making Plans..._

As it would happen, the tenth years were an ordinary bunch and the class had passed very smoothly. With the same assignment she'd given all her previous students given to this group, she dismissed them a few minutes early and headed for the staffroom to work out what she was going to do about the music club.

Shuyin was already inside, sitting amongst another chaotic spread of paperwork and empty water bottles. His forehead rested on his palm, propped up by an elbow resting on the table. He was grumbling to himself as he scratched rapidly with a red pen.

Apparently, her entrance had gone unnoticed. Assuming he was as busy as he looked, she said nothing and took a seat in an armchair, deciding to use her binder as a solid writing surface. With a sheet of paper in front of her, she considered what she would need to work on to get the club off the ground.

The bell rang and Lenne peered at Shuyin whose head shot up at the sound. He looked around and shot a curious smile at her. "I didn't know you were here."

"You looked busy, so I thought I'd give you your space," she replied gently.

He looked back at the table and then to where she sat with her binder resting on her knees. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be hogging all the space." He started pushing his papers together and shuffling them into semi organized piles. "Come over and have a seat."

His offer was irresistible when paired with that smile. Coolly, she stood and seated herself across the table from him. "Thank you."

"I'm kind of a slob and don't be scared if I talk to myself while I work. It's just my inner crazy shining through. Blitz season and the team really brings it out of me," he paused and frowned at the paperwork, "At least when it was spread out it looked less intimidating. Distract me, what are you working on?"

"The whole music club thing. You know, band and choir combo?"

"Interesting. How's it progressing?"

"Poorly. Aside from going to get the lists of previous members, I can't figure out the next step. I want to open it up to everyone even if they aren't music students."

"Why not try mass mailing?" he suggested with a shrug.

She met him with an inquisitive quirk of her brow.

"All the kids have their own mailbox next to their dorm room. It'll take a little time to deliver all the invites yourself, but maybe you can find a group of brown-nosers to do that bit for you."

Now Lenne grinned at him, "Actually I already have a couple of girls that owe me a favour."

It was his turn to look questioning.

"Well, don't be mad but I may have forgiven a duo for playing hooky during one of your gym classes..."

"Let me guess...Rinoa and Selphie?" He gave her a knowing look.

She gasped slightly. "I would never have let it go if I'd known they were repeat offenders."

"Don't worry about it. They're good kids, but Rin's dad isn't too fond of her boyfriend who goes to the Al Bhed school. I'd just look the other way if I could get away with it, but the Headmaster'd have my head, so instead I pretend not to notice when they say they're going to the infirmary and then head off in the wrong direction."

"Supporting their young love?"

"Not exactly. I've had a peak at their records and they have good grades. Rinoa is the Junior Librarian and Selphie is the Spirit Rep for the student council. When they're in my class, they play full on. I don't see the harm in letting them sneak away once in a while."

"That's sweet of you."

"It was sweet of you to provide an alternative punishment. You couldn't ask for better delivery girls."

Lenne fished out a sheet of blank paper and doodled its borders with music notes. She pretended not to notice when Shuyin stood up and walked over to stand behind her, watching her as she worked. She also pretended to be unaffected by his attention or the fact that he smelled like fantastic.

Focusing instead on arranging the information she wanted to get out. She chose to keep it short and sweet.

**Music Club**

**Looking for old and new members. **

**Open to all students.**

**Email Lenne for more information. **

**Please include your **

**name**** and ****preferred position****.**

"Looks good. Maybe you should see about teaching art too," teased Shuyin.

"Quiet you," she responded playfully before getting up from her chair, intentionally bumping him. Not apologizing, she threw him a grin and made her way to the copier. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly a techie and the beast of a copier wasn't interested in co-operating.

He slid up behind her again and tapped a number combination into the keypad. "You have to use the password." Before she could point out that nobody had mentioned that, he gestured around her to a note taped to the wall behind the machine.

"Well, aren't you in the know..." she laughed.

"Because I've spent more time here than I ever did back home."

She noted mentally that despite the lack of time he'd spent there, he still referred to the place he used to live as _home_. She surrendered to her curiosity and asked, "So, where's home?"

He offered a goofy smirk as said, "Join me in stalking my younger brother and maybe I'll tell you."

"Stalking Tidus? Sounds...illicit. When did you plan on doing this?"

He shrugged. "Figured I'd leave in a bit. After I figure he's dropped off his bags and met up with Wakka. I don't do it often, but it's a necessary evil, I think. Gotta make sure he's behaving himself. We have a reputation to maintain of course."

She rolled her eyes. "So, I'm hearing that I'll have time to grab a bite to eat before we leave?"

"If you wait, I'll buy you something to eat. We're going to the mall. I'll get you something extra greasy; sure to clog your arteries and give you heart troubles in the near future."

"You just know the right way into a woman's heart, don't you?"

He laughed softly and moved away, back to the table to gather his papers and recycle the empty bottles. "I've got to run these things back to my office in the blitz stadium. I'll meet you back here in about half an hour?"

Lenne nodded and waved as he left. She checked the clock over the door. "Alright Rinoa... Where are you?"

Lifting her stack of warm copies out and holding them against her chest with one arm, she grabbed her binder with the other and headed for the library.

Rinoa looked at her and smiled, making her almond eyes take the shapes of crescents over her cheeks. She was a cute girl, Lenne decided as she examined the long, powder blue, wool sweater the young girl wore.

"Miss Lenne, what brings you to the library?" she asked.

"Just call me Lenne and actually, my favour brings me to the library."

Rinoa paled a little and threw a sideways glance at the librarian to her left. A woman known to Lenne as Edea, though the students all called her Matron from what she'd heard.

"What was it you wanted me to do?" Rinoa asked warily. Her voice low as though she didn't want Matron to overhear.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like for you and Selphie to deliver these to the dorm mailboxes," Lenne answered as she shifted her stack of papers for emphasis.

"That's no problem, but she has a council meeting right now. They're planning the formal and it could run long. I could do it myself if –"

"No need. Your offer is admirable, but I'd rather not send you out alone. I'll just leave these with you and whenever you and Selphie have a chance tonight or even tomorrow, you can deliver them." Lenne flopped the stack onto the counter.

"Sure! What are they for anyway?"

"Music Club. Everyone is invited to join."

"Even me?"

"Yes, even you," Lenne laughed, "Do you play an instrument?"

"No, I sing."

"Fantastic. The choir could use some more people."

"Selphie plays saxophone."

"I'll see you both there than."

They exchanged head nods and handshakes, followed by a small giggle on Rinoa's part. Lenne waved politely to Matron who returned the gesture.

As she strolled back down the hall, Lenne smiled for no particular reason. Could be that she was learning more about her students and her coworkers. Could be that she was finally adjusting to the school's layout. Or, it could be that what she was sure was the sexiest thing she'd ever laid eyes on had asked her to the mall. She squealed a little and picked up her pace. She felt like a schoolgirl.

As she came around a generous bend in the corridor, she spotted LeBlanc and a pair of tenth year boys she vaguely recognized. Damn, what were their names?

Hesitating approaching until she remembered who they were exactly, she stayed to the side of the wall she knew would keep them from seeing her. Of course, she couldn't see them either, but she most certainly heard them.

"Boss," said the voice she recognized as belonging to the fat one, "What are you gonna do?"

LeBlanc made a _tsk tsk_ sound and the sound of her heels against the tiling stopped. The sound of the boys' footsteps quickly came to a halt too.

"Well, I'm not just going to stand idly by while some new girl catches my Noojie. We were meant to be. I'm just going to have to take her out of the picture somehow."

"I do hope it calls for gratuitous violence, I've a deep fondness for catfights," said the taller boy.

"Shut up Logos." There was a pause and then, "Oh shit, I forgot my fan in my locker. Walk me back and listen while I brainstorm what needs to be done."

They went back the way they had come and Lenne moved away from the wall. The only new girl she was aware of here was Yuna. Was this girl after Yuna? If so, she was in for a world of pain...

All joy gone from her thoughts, she focused on this new mystery. Which of the students was Nooj again? The name sounded so familiar. Nooj... Nooj...

She pushed into the lunchroom and took a seat to wait for Shuyin. Lost in her thoughts, she overlooked that the chair she had chosen had a blazer draped across it's back and a cup of coffee on the table in front of it.

Auron appeared from the staff washroom and looked at her. When she said nothing, he cleared his throat.

Lenne jumped in her seat and realized it was actually his seat. "Sorry," she said quickly as she moved seats.

He made a dismissive gesture with his hands that she knew meant not to worry about it. "What's on your mind?" He asked without looking at her. His eyes trained on a spiral notebook in front of him.

"I was just trying to recall a student named Nooj," she admitted.

"He's the student council president. A twelfth year straight A student."

"And what about LeBlanc?"

Auron sighed. "She's got no filter between her mouth and her brain. She might not be an honour student, but she's a bright kid when motivated properly."

"Hmmmm...." Lenne pursed her lips while she thought further. So, LeBlanc liked Nooj, who was president of the student council and very smart... and maybe liked Yuna? Something didn't fit. Yuna was pretty, but LeBlanc wasn't exactly what high school boys usually said no to. "Does he not know she has a crush on him?"

Auron chuckled at this. "Oh, he knows."

Tilting her head and looking at Auron, she could easily see that he had been a very handsome man in his prime. She could also clearly make out a scar.

He seemed unfazed by her stare and added, "He can't not know. She's master-minded dozens of schemes to attract him."

"And they don't work?"

Auron was frowning now, "No. Nooj. Nooj is a good kid, but he's got some problems of his own to deal with and he's very logical. I suppose he sees having a girlfriend as a further complication or distraction. I can't be certain."

"I guess I'll have to do a little research."

"Why does this suddenly concern you?"

"It indirectly involves Yuna and therefore directly involves me," Lenne stated firmly.

The door opened and Shuyin appeared. "Ready?" he asked.

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_Thanks for reading! Hope you liked this chapter. I had a hard time getting this one done actually. I can't exactly explain why, but I'm not entirely happy with it. Oh well. Don't worry too much about Rinoa and Selphie. I just thought I'd pull in other Final Fantasy characters to fill in the smaller roles. _

_DLH_


	6. Chapter 6: Spoiled Spoilers

_A quick thanks again to my beta, merciful for helping me get these out as quickly as possible._

_Above was the original message at the beginning of this chapter which was begun basically forever ago. I left it there because of the irony._

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**Chapter Six**

_...Spoiled Spoilers..._

The ride to the mall was a short one, especially when it was taken in Shuyin's ridiculously expensive car. The seats literally warmed and massaged your back. Lenne wasn't entirely sure she would be able to pull herself away from this magic when the time came, but she did.

They cruised into underground parking and got out.

"You must have amazing budgeting skills because even on this new income I could never afford this car," Lenne gushed in spite of her determination to look cool.

"It was actually a present from my dad," he told her, clicking the fob to lock the car doors. It beeped at him cheerily and they walked to the elevator.

"Nice Dad," Lenne laughed.

"Yeah, he is now." Something flashed across Shuyin's eyes and Lenne realized that Dad was a touchy subject regardless of how casual the conversation. She wondered why, but couldn't bring herself to ask. Suddenly, she decided she wasn't going to delve too deep into the questions about where home was either.

"How often do you do this? Stalk your brother I mean."

"Every couple of months or when he goes somewhere with someone new."

"Which of those is the reasoning for today?"

They stepped into the elevator and he leaned his elbows on the railing, looking very relaxed. She couldn't help but glance at the mirrored walls and toy with the thought of jumping on her companion.

Naturally, being the lady she was, she restrained herself and waited for his answer.

"Well, Wakka has a thing for Lulu and I happen to know she works at this mall. When I told him not to blow his money at the arcade, he didn't correct me, but the arcade has been closed down for months. I don't think they'll be doing anything wrong, but if they bother Lulu too much she'll beat the crap out of them."

"Lulu... She's a friend of Yuna's."

"That's good. I mean, aside from an overwhelming insistence on putting her breasts on display for the world, Lulu is a smart girl."

Lenne could only laugh.

"I'm serious!" Shuyin exclaimed with fake offense, "I have to give the girl detention every day for ignoring the dress code!"

Lenne laughed harder and they got out of the elevator. "Where does she work?"

The mall was crowded and Shuyin grasped her hand to lead her through the throngs of people and to the food court. He answered her previous question without speaking as he pointed to a very pretentious looking coffee shop on the corner of the court.

"In there? I used to work somewhere similar and those places are terrible."

"When you're a high school student, all jobs are terrible. Minimum wage, no benefits, next to no hours and the excitement of being completely disposable. Grab a seat and I'll get us some grub. Any allergies?"

"Chlorine," Lenne replied absently, watching the coffee shop.

"Any that apply to food?" Shuyin laughed.

She blushed realizing what she'd said. "No, no. Thanks. I'll find a spot to sit."

He walked away and she headed straight for the coffee shop. Yuna had said she and Lulu were old friends and Shuyin had implied Lulu was a fighter of sorts. Maybe she could help with the whole LeBlanc-Nooj affair.

Inside was dimly lit by a few small lights set in the ceiling and lamps on the tables where customers were seated, pecking at the keys on their laptops and turning book pages.

A husky female voice drew her attention to the counter, where she spotted Lulu in a knee-length, black, pencil skirt and a white button down blouse – with nearly half the buttons at the top left undone.

Lenne strode to the counter and smiled at the girl. "Can I get a large Chai Latte with whipped cream and chocolate shavings?" she requested and Lulu nodded.

Staying silent for a moment, Lenne watched her student gather together the ingredients. "Say, you're a friend of Yuna's aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"I just wanted to be sure she was adjusting as well as she had told me."

"She's doing just fine."

"I'm glad. Though, I've got to ask... You know Nooj, right?"

Lulu looked confused, but nodded.

"Well, someone had told me that he had shown an interest in Yuna and that LeBlanc was not pleased about it."

"So you came here to gossip with a student? I'm not interested in partaking in the rumour mill."

Lenne froze; she had not expected it to come across that way. "No," she said suddenly, panicked by the thought of being a gossipy teacher, "I just meant that if – see Yuna, she's very independent and doesn't always ask for help when she needs it. Not to mention that I'm a teacher and that might make it hard to talk to me. Just, if something actually comes of this, where Yuna has problems, will you come see me?"

Lulu regarded her for a moment, adding the chocolate and a lid without even looking at the cup. "Here's your latte." She passed it over and sighed when the teacher didn't leave. "Listen, Yuna is fine and if ever a situation comes where she's not fine, I will deal with it. I knew her back even before her mom died and trust me, anyone who hurts Yuna, gets hurt."

"Violence isn't necessarily the answer. If you come talk to me..."

"I didn't say it would be violent. I just said, they get hurt. Despite popular belief I'm a terrible fighter, that's more Paine's thing. I know other ways to make someone suffer though and they will if they hurt Yuna."

"Alright. Fair enough. You can handle things without me as a group, but I'd still like to know what goes on. I could be handy if you got into trouble with the Headmaster."

Suddenly Lulu extended her hand and Lenne shook it.

Feeling triumphant, Lenne left with her drink and quickly found Shuyin already in a seat, waiting for her.

"You went for coffee?" he asked.

"I wanted to meet Lulu and by going in alone, I wouldn't raise any suspicion if your brother was there."

"Have you ever considered a career as a spy?"

She smiled at him and accepted a greasy burger wrapper. "No, but here's a question. Does your brother have an interest in any of the following: Zombies, assassins, violence, or shirtless men?"

"The first three I know for sure are yes, but the last one is kind of up in the air. Why?"

"Zombie Assassin is out and probably playing in the theatre here."

"Oh my Yevon! I can't believe I forgot it was out this week! Before we leave, I have to swing by and check the show times. I might have to come back tonight and watch it."

"I hear it's awesome," Lenne said, spurring on his excitement.

Shuyin looked at her, calm again, a cocky grin affixing itself to his face. "Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Are you sure you want to risk me comparing you to the extremely sexy Cloud? I mean, he's kind of incredible."

"Yeah, he's a real dreamboat," Shuyin said, rolling his eyes, "But Tifa is in this and she's really where it's at. You sure you're okay with risking that comparison?"

Lenne placed a hand on her chest and let out a dramatic breath, "Well, at least you didn't choose Aerith."

"Her character dies," said a familiar voice and Tidus seemed to materialize at their side.

"Don't tell us!" Lenne scolded.

"He's probably lying," Shuyin said, "Was it good?"

"It was amazing! There was... it was just... oh man... SEE IT!" Tidus rambled loudly and excitedly. His eyes were all gooey and he looked very happy.

"Did you like it Wakka?" Lenne asked, seeing that boy behind his friend.

"It was good. Woulda been better if Lulu didn't have to work every night this week, ya."

"She works every night?" Shuyin asked, looking suspicious.

"Yeah, she really does. Except Thursday, when she has some book club thing and catches up on her homework." Tidus' crystal blue eyes sparkled mischievously as he cast a sideways glance at his friend.

"She told you about her plans for Thursday?" Wakka asked. Apparently it was news to him.

"Yeah. I was talking to her at lunch today while I was waiting for you to get out of the cafeteria line up." Tidus looked at his brother and smiled. "She has this friend and she's so hot."

"You like Paine?" Lenne teased, hoping with all her heart he was really going on about Yuna.

"No! She scares me. I mean the other friend who literally just got to the school this week. I was talking to Lulu, trying to do a little fishing about this girl, but she rolled her eyes and ignored me."

"Her name's Yuna and she's from Besaid."

"I coulda told you that, ya. I grew up with her," Wakka laughed.

Tidus looked offended. "Why didn't you tell me before I begged Lulu to fill me in?"

"You never said you liked her."

Tidus sighed with exaggerated frustration. "Did I ever tell you I have trouble seeing?"

Wakka quirked an eyebrow, "No."

"So, why wouldn't I like her?"

Tidus grinned foolishly and ignored the sudden protective look on his teammate's face.

"You obviously need a better way to preoccupy your time. Blitz isn't enough to keep you out of trouble. Pick up some more extracurricular activities," Shuyin advised.

"Maybe you play an instrument?" Lenne asked, suddenly her own club at the forefront of her mind.

They both seemed to pretend they hadn't heard he question and dismissed themselves.

With a pitying smile, Shuyin leaned forward. "They're just embarrassed because they have no musical talent..."

She nodded weakly. Was music lame? Did she teach a lame chorus? O.M.G. Was she a lame teacher?

A hand pushed her hair back and she realized Shuyin was standing beside her, his fingertips brushing her cheek gently as he tried to push her hair back.

"Seriously. Don't let it get to you." He said.

She turned and looked at his hand slowly.

"Oh, hey, speaking of awkward subject changes," he suddenly said, pulling his hand away and scratching the back of his neck. "That movie...Let's check out the showtimes."

Nodding, she stood and followed him to the trash where they held the little door open for one another to dump their trays. Opting to take her nearly empty drink, mostly for the convenience of putting something in her mouth when there was a lull in conversation, Lenne strolled alongside him to the simple mall cinema, admiring him through her lashes slyly as they went.

His hair swayed lightly in the movement of his excited, brisk walk to the movies. He was talking, but she couldn't focus on the words, instead losing herself in his perfect complexion and how much she'd like to just lean in and kiss that smooth cheek.

"Lenne?" he asked curiously, "Where are you going?"

She found herself in front of a wall where the mall hall dead ended just past the movie theatre.

Behind her Shuyin was laughing and he smirked at her fevered blush as she joined him again in front of the entrance.

"I was lost in thought," she told him feebly.

He kept his smirk and held the door for her.

Determined not to be embarrassed by that sort of situation again, she strode quickly to the electronic kiosk and began tapping at the touch screen to bring up the movie times.

He stood behind her, close enough for his breath to tickle the back of her neck lightly.

She gestured to the screen, at a loss for words.

He leaned around her and tapped the screen himself. He pushed his credit card in. "How about we see it at eight fifteen. Gives us some time to get back and change out of what we've been wearing all day. I mean, I know I look good, but I coach in this and I'm sure I don't smell as good."

"Which is why you're standing so close?" she teased, finally finding her voice.

He smiled widely. "I'm actually just a pervert."

She grabbed her stomach as she laughed.

* * *

_People from FF7 are celebrities for this fic. Of all the possible games in the series I thought they were the most fitting. Plus, Cloud is totally the action star type. Minimal speech, badass motorcycle... Not to mention, I kind of thought that Tifa and Lenne resembled one another, same with Shuyin and Cloud. Just a bit._

_DLH_


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